How to Link PayPal to Mpesa

Anyone transacting online frequently knows too well that the knowledge of how to link PayPal to Mpesa is in Kenya would be very useful to them. Apart from the convenience of not having to visit the bank every time you need to collect your cash, the direct transaction takes a shorter period of time compared to the bank, allegedly. This is a welcomed relief for people that use PayPal constantly to receive cash from online transactions. Knowing how to go about the linking is information that is invaluable. This article will shed some light on the process and hopefully help a lot more people out there who may need to access this info.

Source: frontpagetv.com

PayPal is convenient since it protects the two parties doing business online from disclosing their personal financial details. However, despite this benefit and the fact that PayPal is a trusted solution world over, there still is no direct withdrawal from Paypal. Contrary to what info may be out there, clicking from PayPal and receiving your cash instantly is something that is yet to happen. Until recently where Mpesa option became viable, there were only three ways of withdrawing your cash from PayPal in Kenya. These are through equity, epay and Payoneer channels.

How to withdraw money from PayPal in Kenya

1. The Equity bank option

Source: tuko.co.ke

Equity bank was a welcomed relief for online freelancers and earners to get their cash from PayPal at affordable rates. The middleman channel that would sometimes cost more than 20 percent of the earnings was broken, much to the relief of numerous freelancers. Equity came in with a cheaper option that only needs you to wait for three days. To withdraw your money through equity you have to go through the following procedure:

Using the bank’s self-service portal, get yourself registered. Provide personal information details and set a strong password.

Read the given terms and conditions and affirm

Enter the code sent to your phone after completing your details

Log in then link the account

Enter the OTP that is sent to your phone. Upon doing this a confirmation message is sent

2. The Payoneer option

Payoneer is probably the most trusted option for online freelancers as far as cash withdrawal from PayPal is concerned. It was the only way to withdraw money from PayPal by a simple withdraw click on PayPal. This alternative was preferred because of the low commissions involved. Only one percent is charged as commission. Unfortunately only old members are able to continue using this method since new membership was closed in 2014.

3. The E-pay option

Epay has been one of the most trusted PayPal withdrawal methods in Kenya that you do not have to worry so much about. Once you register and login, there is a requirement that you submit your scanned ID copy to have your account verified. You can now request for payments and receive them within two hours. However, the downside of this option is that you are only allowed to withdraw 500 dollars in the first month. The commission charged is also very high.

Recently the Mpesa option has been introduced. It is now possible for direct paypal to mpesa withdrawal procedures to be carried out. We shall explore this in details after we learn how to link your PayPal account to Mpesa.

Paypal Kenya - PayPal to Mpesa transaction details

Source: androidkenya.com

How to link PayPal to Mpesa

Before conveniently starting to use PayPal to Mpesa service you need to link the account. This is how to go about it.

Have a PayPal account. Signup for one if you do not have

Ensure you have a PayPal account that is Kenyan. Any other PayPal account will not work even if you are of Kenyan descent. The PayPal account you may have opened while abroad studying will not work with the Mpesa service. This service is specific to PayPal to Mpesa Kenya accounts only.

Use similar names when registering both PayPal account and Mpesa account. This automatically means that you use the names in your national ID or passport.

How to withdraw from PayPal to Mpesa

The balance in your PayPal account will be displayed. You need to note that the balance shown is for all cash in US dollars. If you have extra cash in different currencies be sure to convert it first.

Indicate the amount in US dollars that you would like to withdraw from PayPal to Mpesa

You will get a page redirect showing the amount you will receive in Kenya shillings as well as the exchange rate and processing duration.

Confirm the amount and complete the transaction

The PayPal to Mpesa withdrawal option comes as a relief for many but still begs the question of whether or not it is as good as it is thought to be. It has its perks, sure. But this should not be seen in isolation. There are a few downsides which may not be bad really but could be limiting. In the end, weigh the pros and cons and decide what goes for your current need.

Mpesa to PayPal service is limited to 140,000 withdraws per person per day which could be limiting to heavy cash movers. In addition to this, the 3% charge for conversion is not favorable considering that Equity revised their charges downwards to 1.5% recently. Unless in emergency situations you may be better off waiting. Top up services are even more expensive since they are charged at 4%. Top ups occur within 4 hours and withdrawals could take anything from 2 hours to 3 days to complete. So, in the end you have to decide if the option is something you want to explore.

Topping up from Mpesa to PayPal – Step on how to transfer money from Mpesa to PayPal

You can also top up your PayPal account using Mpesa whenever you want to transact online and have less cash in PayPal. Do this as follows:

Use the same link as before and select the top up option

Enter the amount you need to top up in US dollars and le the calculation on the current exchange rate bring you the actual amount needed in Kenya shillings. On your Mpesa menu select Lipa na Mpesa, then Paybill.

Put the business number 800088

Use your phone number as account number

Put your pin and send

With Mpesa-PayPal services introduced, freelancers and online earners in Kenya have a lot more to look out for.This increases the number of withdrawal options available to them. With a bit more to look at when withdrawing from Paypal, choosing what works for you is paramount.